Phoenix, AZ vs Mobile, AL
Moving from Phoenix to Mobile? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $197,857 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Mobile at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $84,774 in Mobile, AL (−$15,226).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Mobile, AL: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 5,181 sqft in Mobile ($242 vs $97 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Mobile, AL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $15,876 | −$5,028 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,729 | −$190 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,465 | −$495 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,884 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,400 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $9,039 | +$1,759 |
| Total | $40,531 | $37,393 | −$3,138 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Mobile, AL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 88.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.91% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.05 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $197,857 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 3.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $97 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,323 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 9.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $7,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 0.70% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 33 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |